Spring 2010

Internet Security, Israeli Innovation

MIDC brings experts together to talk about cyber security.

"The world has taken a wonderful tool for humanity [the Internet] and turned it into a weapon," said Allen Shay, CEO of the Security Technology Institute in Maryland and President of Prescint Ltd. Speaking at the Maryland/Israel Development Center’s breakfast meeting on Thursday, April 29, "Internet Security, Israeli Innovation," Shay and other cyber security experts noted the impressive cyber security technology they learned about during a recent MIDC mission to Israel and the growing threat – and business opportunities – of the cyber security arena.

The panelists, which included Shay, George Heron, President of BlueFin Security, and Dr. Melvin Bernstein, Vice President of Research at the University of Maryland, all drove home the point that the cyber security threat is large – and rapidly growing larger – and that the United States will have to reach out to foreign countries like Israel to get the best technology in the industry.

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OptiCul Diagnostics

An innovative Israeli company has just launched a new office in the Shady Grove Innovation Center in Montgomery County, with ties to the University of Maryland Department of Microbiology & Immunology. The company, OptiCul Diagnostics, a medical diagnostic device company established in early 2008, employs innovative spectroscopic methods to quickly and accurately identify bacteria in body samples in a point-of-care setting. The goal of their being in the States is to conduct clinical trials and get FDA approval for their first product, StrepSense, a rapid test for detecting Streptococcus A in patients suffering from a sore throat. Also, they want to complete work on a second product, a quick test to determine if patients entering a hospital are carrying Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

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Gliknik Inc.

"Israel is one of the two worldwide centers of excellence for medical devices," said David S. Block, President and CEO of Maryland-based Gliknik Inc.

"A Gliknik drug discovered in Baltimore can be very helpful for preventing devices from being rejected by the body. We are hoping to have some Israeli companies work with our compound." Block recently returned from a five-day biotechnology mission in Israel, during which he visited every major Israeli university and hospital and met with dozens of small companies and some venture capitalists. He said he sees a lot of promise for his products in the Israeli market.

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Tour of the Cutting Edge

MIDC recently sponsored a tour and presentation conducted by Dr. Eyal Talor, Chief Scientific Officer of the Cel-Sci Corporation in Elkridge. The Cel-Sci Corporation is at the forefront of developing a pharmaceutical treatment for head and neck cancer and is in the third stage of its worldwide clinical trial of a non-toxic drug, Multikine.

Dr. Talor's presentation and tour of the facility were insightful and informative, providing members and friends of the MIDC the educational opportunity to learn about the innovative pharmaceutical advancements in cancer treatment.

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New Members

As of May 11, 2010

BUSINESS MEMBERS: 20/20 Gene Systems: Jonathan Cohen and Alysa Dortort, BIZ Mid-Atlantic: Stuart Anolik, Clean Currents: Gary Skulnik, Fedder Management Corporation: Robert Pollokoff, Hi-G Tek: Don DeLaksi, Beryl Hosack and Avi Lichtash, Jane K. Schapiro, Medispec: Anil Dhingra, Mintz Levin: Ran Zioni, Morgan Stanley: Vadim Alatortsev, Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber: Isaac Neuberger, Adam Zarren and Hillel Tendler, Residential Title: Howard Perlow, Samuel Shapiro & Company: Sig Shapiro, Sterling Partners: Eric Becker and Larry Lessans, University of Maryland College Park: Brian Darmody, Ken Gertz and Mel Bernstein

INDIVIDUAL: Gary Applestein, Frank Baitman, Om Bansal, Jonathan Chashper, Lisa Cines, Howard Clemons, Rena Cohen, Mark Dopkin, Chuck Franklin, Joseph Friedman, Robert Ginsburg, Jordan Harburger, Richard Heideman, Craig Hillman, Ira Hoffman, Josh Hurewitz, Art Jacoby, Martha Katz, Neil Katz, Andrew Kreinik, Sue Liebman, Neil Meltzer, Eric Metzman, Tom Moran, David Nevins, Marica Nusgart, Avner Parnes, Guy Parr, David Paulson, Jay Radov, Andrew Razumovksy, Lauri Rodich, Asher Rubin, Thomas Sadowski, Linda Segal, Robert Smelkinson, Richard Story, Martin Waxman, John Wielgosz

Save the Date

Ocean Science MIDC and Maryland Biotechnology Institute to host 20 Israeli Marine Biologists

Exclusive Cocktail Reception
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
5:00-6:45 p.m.
University of Maryland Biotechnology Center 710 E. Pratt Street, second floor
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Did you Know?

As of April 2010, Israel has a population of nearly 7.59 million people and it’s growing at a rate of 1.8 percent per year, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Of the population, 75.5 percent of people are Jewish, 20.4 percent are Arab, and the rest of the people, which include Christians and Druze, make up 4.1 percent of the population.